The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-03
SOL. TAYLOR'S ESCAPE.


other day., and now I'm bit over
sixty. You can figger that up and see
how long I've been skirmishing with
INDIANS, grizzlies, and PARTNERS, rattle
snakes and the other pesky varmints
of tte mountain, plain and prairie.
There hasn't been an Indian warrior the
a1st hall century that | haven't rad a
Erind in, and recon I've had us many
sstand-up fights on my own hook as
sIuy scout or hunter you can name.
have been captured and put to the
e0rture twice, and been captured and
ssot away without torture three or
fonr times. In times OF peace / have
pIved with the Pawnees Kiowas,
Apaches, Sioux, CheYennes, and Black
fret, and in times OF war have fought
sln these tribes. NIebbe | am, there
fore, 1t purity good Judge OF Indian ma
fnr, and when you ask
iXne which tribe OF redskins has the
most honor ! reply that never yet
saw an lndain whom would trust q
rod The only reason that some OF
"eni have served the Government as
scouts and traitors is because they
Happened to hate their own kind just
then a little wuss than they did the
white man. However, you want some
az my own adventures, and / will give
You one:
Before the days of railroads in the
West n man who was spilin' for an
EDdian fight could get it within rifle
shot oi Fort Kearney, and this state
OF affairs continued up to 1866 and
Hatar. The last time | was captured
-xas on the Smoky Hill fork OF the
Kansas River, and it was while the
xc6!road was being pushed across the
aS$a'e of Kansas. A railroad through
srhe Indian country meant good-by to
Name and good.by to the Indian. The
Eedskin realized this as forcibly
as che white man, and he
WAS ON hand to fight the
progress OF the road. He was
foolish enough to suppose that the
sziliing of OF a few scouts and survey
ors would stop all work, and by the
tinls the road was half way across
4he State Of Kansas every Indian
who had any patriotism about him
| 10, 81, al lA,,>,
The contractors had to employ a
kYreat many scouts and fighters to
prOtect the advance men, and was
Doe OF those thus engaged. In the
3ve months of my employment | kill
I'D thirty-nine Indians and brought
-etirty-rine scalps to camp and there
were other scouts who did as well or
better. We did not lose near as
many men in proportion, as we
bought entirely on the defensive, and
bad all the advantage.
My capture occurred one morning in
September. One OF the engineers OF
HE road had been on spree. and
uhiie vergIng on delirium tremens had
sft camp and wondered of. He had
boen gone two or three hours before
y vas missed, and at midnight of
rainy, gusty night six OF us
earted out on foot to hunt him up.
Is no one knew the direction he had
aken, each OF us went his own way.
hero were plenty OF Indians around
4. and scout had been wounded
1T afternoon within half mile OF
r camp. Each man OF us who went
Is took big chances OF being captur-
bat there was no hesitating or
nneins back on that account. Our
Imp was close to the river, and my
bnt move was to cross the stream.
- water was no more than waist
10, and had no trouble in reach
the other bank. The engineer.
ose name was Sewell, had gone off
Ms shirt and trousers and boots.
vas barcheadcd, out OF his senses,
had no weapons OF any sort.
only hope OF finding him was that
would become exhausted before
ns far and sit down.
)nce across the stream, | held to
north for about mile, and then
med to the left and kept on until
"a described a quarter OF a circle
come to the river again. /
went back to the starting
1t and bore TO the right, and it
while On my way to the river that
Indians suddenly rose up from
uass at my feet and seized me.
MT say that was of my guard.
% did seem bit queer to me as |
neht it over afterwards that l
Ia let the slunks get such an ad-